January 25, 2021
Congress
  • House Democratic leaders have rearranged the chamber's schedule in order to allow relevant committees to consider various provisions in President Biden's relief package this week. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told reporters the new package could be brought to the floor as soon as the week of February 1.
  • Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) released a statement regarding the full reopening of the Paycheck Protection Program.
  • Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) sent a letter to President Biden and Vice President Harris, calling on them to work with Congress to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are free for all Americans.
  • Representative Lauren Boebert (R-CO) introduced the No Mask Mandates Act. The bill would allow for masks to be encouraged but not mandated when people are on federal property or engaging in interstate commerce.
  • Reps. Ted Budd (R-NC) and Mike Garcia (R-CA) introduced the Vaccinate More Americans Act. The bill would allow vaccine providers to administer leftover COVID-19 vaccines to individuals eligible to receive the vaccine in the following phased allocation group, instead of letting the doses go to waste.
  • House Small Business Committee Ranking Member Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) released a statement following President Biden’s COVID-19 stimulus proposal.
Administration
  • In his first full day in office, President Biden issued 10 executive orders to tackle the COVID-19 crisis.
  • President Biden also unveiled a 21-page summary of his National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Response.
  • The White House released a fact sheet on President Biden’s new executive actions to deliver economic relief for American families and businesses amid the COVID-19 crises.
  • The Treasury Department announced new staff members who will serve in senior roles “as the country faces a deep economic downturn triggered by a global pandemic.”
  • The Small Business Administration announced it has approved approximately 60,000 PPP loan applications submitted by nearly 3,000 lenders, for over $5 billion in lending.
  • The SBA also proposed a rule to eliminate regulations that exclude faith-based organizations from seven SBA Programs, including the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program.
  • The CDC issued interim guidance for expanded screening and testing to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
States
  • Representatives Ted Budd (R-NC) and Ryan Garcia (R-CA) sent a letter to the CDC, urging the agency to issue guidance for states aimed at reducing wasted COVID-19 vaccines.
  • Track where states stand on reopening.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released resources to assist states to reopen.
  • CMS has approved over 200 requests for state relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including recent approvals for Alaska, Iowa, Hawaii, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah and Virginia.
National Association of Health Underwriters | COVID-19@nahu.org